The Inaugural CXC Marathon Cup: Three states, six major marathon events

Fri, Sep  11, 2015 - By CXC Skiing

Madison, WI - Central Cross Country Ski Association, in partnership with the six most prominent marathons in the Midwest and Great Lakes, is pleased to announce the inaugural CXC Marathon Cup race series.

The CXC Marathon Cup will bring events from three states (MI, WI, MN) into one cohesive competition. The races are evenly split between classic and skate techniques, with two classic weekends, two skate weekends, one skiathlon weekend, and one weekend with back-to-back classic and skate races.

These six events represent a collection of the most beautiful and challenging trail systems in the Midwest and Great Lakes. The race courses have been highly ranked by the athletes and weekend warriors alike.

Numerous victories will be fought to claim a total purse prize of $60,000 between the six events for the CXC Marathon Cup crown. 2015-2016 CXC Marathon Cup race series includes:

• January 16, 2016 - 42K Seeley Hills Classic, Seeley, WI
• January 23, 2016 - Noquemanon 50K Classic Ski Marathon, Marquette, MI
• February 7, 2016 - City of Lakes Loppet Minne Tour, Minneapolis, MN
• February 13, 2016 - Vasaloppet USA 58K Freestyle, Mora, MN
• February 20, 2016 - American Birkebeiner 51K Skate, Hayward, WI
• March 5, 2016 - The Great Bear Chase 50K Skiathlon, Calumet, MI

There are four basic competition categories: Overall, Age-Indexed Overall, Age Class, and Team/Club

“We have worked with event organizers on this concept since April and we’re very excited to bring it to life this winter. The most important component of the CXC Marathon Cup will be competition in the Team/Club category. We encourage masters/citizen skiers to join their local clubs and to represent them with pride. We also will be encouraging clubs/teams around Midwest and Great Lakes to add master/citizen memberships to their club/team rosters. Masters/Citizen skiers are the backbone for the support of local clubs and we are looking forward see the growth of clubs in our region” commented Yuriy Gusev, CXC Executive and Athletic Director.

For more information visit: http://cxcskiing.org/pages/events/cxc-marathon-cup.html